Nocturne
by EmmalynnMarie21
Summary: Nocturne: A musical composition that has a romantic or dreamy character with nocturnal associations. Welcome to a world of nomadic musicians and weed, late nights and bottles of scotch, bar fights and hook ups, and something funny we like to call love.


**I know what my returning readers are thinking: "She hasn't even finished editing and reposting Isabella Ghost yet and here she is, at it again with her slew of new ideas...that bitch... finish your last stories...merh meh meh..." **

**Well, here it is. My new brilliant idea (not the one from my poll, mind you) and I'm letting it free.**

**PS: I'm looking for a new beta. Help me out? **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and its associated characters are not mine. **

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**Chapter One: Pretty Man**

I slid my hand down the length of the black leather guitar case and gazed out the window of the shop. Foot traffic was crazy today, with tourists coming from all over the country for the music festival tonight. Both local and out of state bands were playing tonight, mine included. Victoria was going to pick me up after my shift was over, and then we were going to head over to the park to set up. James, Laurent, and Heidi would already be there setting up for our first set. Drumming my fingers on the vintage case, I waited impatiently for the last hour to tick by. It had been a busy day, but now that everyone was heading down to the festival, GG's Muse Shop was empty. Ginger, the woman that opened the vintage/indie music store was an erratic fifty year old that looked more like she was in her twenties. She had thick, curly scarlet-dyed hair and dark, drawn on eyebrows that emphasized indigo eyes. Her legs went on for miles, and her tits were bigger than my head. Despite her extravagance, she was the chillest lady I'd ever met. She hired me when I was fourteen, right when the store opened and had become more of a mother than my mom ever was.

I checked the clock on the wall again and immediately jumped off the stool behind the counter. 8:45 meant it was time to start closing up and I was jumping out of my skin to leave. I grabbed a rag and the Pinesol and set to work cleaning off the old wooden counter. After polishing the last few scratches and marks off, I dumped the used rag and cleaner behind the counter. In my haste, I skipped over cleaning the windows and prayed that Ginger would understand. I rushed to the front of the cluttered shop and was just about the flip the open sign around to closed, when a man opened the door and ran smack into me.

I stumbled backwards and caught myself on an old upright piano. "What the hell?" I demanded, wiping the hair out of my eyes.

"I am so sorry." A velvety voice laughed. "I'm just in a huge rush." Looking up at him through the curtain of my hair, I was stunned by the greenest eyes I'd every seen. They sparkled beneath a few stray pieces of bronze hair and stood out on a sculpted pale face. I estimated his age to be around eighteen, and had to cross my legs at the sudden butterflies dropping from my stomach to my ovaries.

"It's alright." I straightened up and brushed a small splintered out of my palm. "What do you need?"

"I'm playing down at the festival and I lost my lucky pick. I need a new one and fast - we go on in fifteen minutes." His eyes were going crazy, searching all over the store.

I snorted. "Well, we don't exactly stock _lucky_ picks, but we do have picks. Follow me." I led him toward the back of the store, and into the guitar nook in the far left corner. There were rows upon rows of picks in little bowls on the wall, ranging from themed to plain, thin to hard. He rifled through them quickly, but nothing was catching his eye.

"No, none of these will work." He spit, frustrated and pulling at his manic hair.

I bit my lip when an idea popped into my head. "Here, I have a lucky pick. I'll even give it to you for free, just as long as I get it back by tomorrow."

"Seriously? That's awesome. Where is it?" His emerald eyes lit up in excitement and I led him to the counter. I opened the leather guitar case and dug around in the bottom, searching for the familiar feel of my favorite pick. I pulled the rainbow, medium pick out and dropped it into the man's hand.

"That should give you all the luck you need tonight." I smiled tentatively. "Just remember to get it back to me. It's special."

"Thanks so much!" The stranger rushed out of the shop with my pick in hand. Suddenly, an idea occurred to me. I raced after him and stopped just outside the door.

"Wait, what is your band called?" I called after him when he was halfway down the block.

"Twilight!" He shouted back at me. The man disappeared around the corner just as Victoria's old Mustang convertible screeched to a halt in front of the curb.

"Get in the car, bitch, we're late!" Victoria shouted. I flipped her off and ran back into the store. Grabbing my guitar off the counter and snatching a pick from the wall, I rushed back to the car. I dumped my stuff in the back seat, before turning back to shut off the lights and lock the door. Leaping over the door, I landed in the passenger seat with a light thud.

"Pissy much?" I rolled my eyes at the fiery redhead beside me.

"No," she barked a laugh, "just not high enough to be nice yet."

"Fuck that!" I slapped the back of her head. "You're going on sober tonight, like it or not!"

"Fuck you, slut, no way. I never play a show sober."

"Remember what happened last time you got stoned before we went on? You started laughing in the middle of _Hawk Eyes_ and messed up the entire refrain. We couldn't get our asses back in sync until the last verse. If you hadn't noticed, we lost our gig at Frankie's Bar after that." I dug into Vic's purse and found her latest joint. Before she could reach for it, I doused it with a water bottle and tossed it out of the car.

"I hope you choke on a cock for that, whore." She barked a laugh and hit the gas. We skidded into the parking lot and she found the closest parking spot possible. Immediately, I tore my case out of the backseat and jumped out of the car. Vic and I raced toward the stage, shouldering through people and knocking over drinks and popcorn buckets. Laurent was lingering just outside the back entrance of the stage, tapping his foot to a rhythm only he could hear and smoking a cigar.

"'Bout time your skinny ass made an appearance." He snorted.

"I'm sorry, some of us actually have a job." I rolled my eyes. "Who's going on now?"

"Some band from up north. I didn't catch their name." Laurent shrugged and opened the door, ushering us inside.

"Is that my favorite prostitute I hear?" Heidi called down the stairs. I looked up the long stairway, inhaling the dank scent of old rain, beer, weed, and crazy energy. The beat up, black wooden steps and black cinderblock walls led me up to the lit backstage rooms, where at least thirty people were running around. Heidi stood on the top step, her platinum blonde hair piled in mess atop her head. Her black leather leggings glittered in the light, and her long white tank top exposed an indecent amount of cleavage.

"In the flesh." I flashed her a wicked grin and flicked her nipple.

"Get back into the room, Swan. You gotta change." She slapped me on the ass and I raced down the corridor to our designated practice/dressing room. I rushed inside to find James hanging upside on the brown, moldy couch. He had earbuds in and was wearing a pair of torn jeans and a black t-shirt that was so tight, I could see every outline of his well-muscled body. My outfit was laid out on the cushions next to him and when I reached for it, he caught my wrist.

"'Bout time you showed up, Swan." He kissed the smooth plain of my wrist and I pulled my arm away.

"So I've been told." I rolled my eyes and stripped out of my last clothes. Heidi had picked out a pair of patterned gray leggings, a long white tunic with a picture of Joan Jett on the front, and my favorite black combat boots. I could feel James' eyes on me as I dressed, but chose to ignore them because he was dating Vic anyway. Laurent, Heidi, and Victoria popped inside just a moment later, all hyped up and chatting excitedly about the new label reps that would be here tonight.

"Damn, Bella, you got an ass? Who knew!" Vic slapped me on the ass and laughed when I punched her in the tit.

"Ladies, ladies…" Laurent drawled, stepping between us. "If you're gonna fight, at least get naked first. Don't be selfish to the spectators."

"Fuck you!" We both laughed, punching him in the gut.

"Quiet backstage!" The familiar call came over the speaker and immediately everyone was silence. There was nothing more douchey than a band that couldn't respect when others were playing - that was like an unspoken law. Heidi and I snuck out into the hallway and met a few others we knew along the way. At the end of the long lit hall, we crept through the double doors and emerged in darkness. The wings were full of other bands, curious to watch the competition. I shouldered my way to the front to stand next to Irina, a bassist from the band Denali Beat whom I'd met last year at another festival in Seattle.

"Hey, Bella." She whispered with a warm smile. I grinned back at her and then turned my attention to the band onstage.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" The lead singer called to the crowd. Immediately, I recognized that velvety voice. It was the stranger from the shop - the one with my lucky pick. I stood on my tiptoes and leaned out around Irina to see. "We are Twilight," he continued, "and we hope you have a stellar night." The crowd went wild when the gorgeous man tossed them a wink.

"Whatta cocky prick." Someone snorted behind me. I rolled my eyes and focused my attention back on the pretty man. His voice led the guitar on the first few bars of Wasted, and he sounded like a replica of Lucas Field. There were immediately cheers from the audience and I found myself screaming along with him. Scanning the stage, I observed each member of the band. The bassist was a tall, leggy blonde with tits that rivaled Pamela Anderson's. Behind her was the drummer, and big man with curly brown hair and an infectious grin. To his right and just a few feet ahead, a tall, lean, blonde man was owning the song on his electric guitar. Just a few feet ahead of him there was a tiny girl, with spiky black hair and incredible dance moves that flowed along with her skill on the electric violin. This instrument was added to the song, something I thought was incredibly original and pretty fucking awesome.

When the last few lingering chords faded, the audience went absolutely insane. There were catcalls and cheers all over the park, and the applause was deafening. Immediately, the band launched into their rendition of Starpusher, by Location Location and I nearly creamed my khakis. That man's voice and their taste in music had my lady parts all up in knots. I listened to the next three songs, before Heidi pulled me back to the dressing room to rehearse. When we returned, James was toying with his bass, while Laurent was beating the shit out of the couch with his drumsticks, and Vic was running through chord progressions on her guitar. Heidi looked over her notes for running the synth and the keyboards, and I decided to tune my guitar and warm up my voice.

Calm settled over the room, filling our chests with a warm, steady thrumming that always came when we were about to go on. It grounded us, and gave us all a sense of camaraderie. I plucked through a few verses of Ingrid Michelson's "Are We There Yet" and warmed up my voice with the smooth melody.

"You should play that at our next acoustic gig." Laurent nodded to me.

"You're joking, right? That shit isn't our style." James tossed us both a disgusted look.

"It doesn't hurt to try new things, babe." Victoria suggested calmly, placing a hand on James' knee.

"Shit's not our style." He protested again.

Just as Laurent was about to tear James a new one, the door opened and the backstage manager poked his head in. "You guys are on that stage in two - you only get five to setup."

"Thanks!" Heidi flashed him a grin with her pointed white teeth and hopped off the counter. "Ready, bitches?"

"Yeah." I stuck my tongue in my cheek to keep from giving James a good verbal ass beating. We filed out of the room with the majority of our gear in hand; the rest was already in the wings, waiting to be wheeled in and set up. Heidi helped Vic and me start hooking up amps and guitars, while Laurent and James focused on the rest of the equipment. Twilight had finished their set and was packing up their gear when we were able to start moving our own equipment out onto the stage. I was passing the gorgeous stranger with my guitar in hand, when he suddenly caught my wrist and spun me around.

"Hey, girl from the music shop, right?" He leaned closer to see my face in the darkness and I was hit with the intoxicating scent of spearmint and whiskey.

"Boy that needed a lucky pick." I grinned up at him and he laughed.

"That's me. Here's your pick. Thank you so much - that's the best we've ever played. That pick, I'm tellin' ya, it's magic." He dropped the rainbow pick into my hand.

"You don't have to tell me twice." I winked at him and continued onto the stage. The drums were already set up and moved into the place, and the mics were in position. As I hooked up the last chord to my guitar, I stepped to the front of the dark stage. Behind me, everyone was testing their instruments and holding their breath with anticipation. I nodded to the stage manage, who in turn gave the thumbs up to the guys in the light booth.

The spotlight hit me, bathing me in yellow light as the crowd began to cheer. We were regulars at multiple music festivals across the country, but this was our home town, so everyone knew us. As the lights came up on James, Victoria, Heidi, and Laurent behind me, I took a deep breath. The first chords of the White Stripes version of "Jolene" echoed around me as Vic took lead on guitar. I followed her on my instrument at a quieter level, letting the two progressions blend into one.

"We are Eclipsed." I purred into the microphone. "…and we're glad to be back."

James's voice, gravelly and yet somehow smooth, carried over the speakers then. I followed him, letting him lead until the chorus. I belted the lyrics with all of my heart and soul, letting all of the anger and sadness I'd ever felt pour into the song. The crowd went crazy, cheering as my voice soared high above them and filling the park. James fell into a harmony, and we sang the aching lyrics to each other. He stepped up to my side and I pulled the microphone from its stand. We faced each other, both serenading the other with deep, personal emotion.

_"Jolene, please don't take him." _I wailed, as high as my voice could go.

_"Even though you can." _James drew out the last note in his deep, gravelly voice and it blended with the fading tune of the guitars.

The applauded was deafening and I grinned broadly as James took his place again. There were cheers and even silly proclamations of love exploding from the crowd.

"Well, if you're gonna react like that, we might just have to play another song…" I flirted, winking at the boys in the front row. There were loud shouts of approval and I grinned wickedly.

Heidi kicked up the volume on the synth and the keyboards, effectively giving us a bit of a more electronic sound that filled the night. I set my guitar down in the stand beside me as Vic played us in, and then Laurent followed on the drums. James' bass was deep, and heavy, and it gave me a good beat to sway to. "Gimme Sympathy" was a popular one, so most of the crowd was dancing by the time I even started singing.

_"Get hot, get too close to the flames - wild, open space. Talk like an open book, sign me up. Got no time to take a picture - I'll remember someday all the chances we took. We're so close to something better left unknown…"_My voice was far from the sweet pitch of Emily Haines, but I could at least pull off a decent cover of Metric.

We played three more songs after that, and then closed with Halestorm's "Innocence." It was a hit, with the angry lyrics and heavy drums. I drug to mic stand along with me as I walked the front of the stage, belting the lyrics with as much passion as I could. I stopped in front of a group of boys and leaned close, tossing them a wink.

_"I just want to take your innocence…" _I sang and one of them reached for me. I smirked and returned to the center of the stage and belted, "_I just want to take!" _

Applause erupted from the audience and we heard more cheering than we had in our entire career. I was full of shit when I told the pretty man that the pick was lucky, but I was starting to believe that it was magic now. Riding high on the world, we bowed for our audience until the stage went dark. Then, it was a rush to get our shit off the stage so the next band could get started. Heidi and I hauled most of the amps, guitars, and chords off stage, while the others dealt with the drums, bass, synth, and keyboards. We were off in under five minutes, and then Irina's band - Denali Beat - was setting up with little time to spare. When all of our equipment was safely out of the way, we cheered and threw our arms around each other. If this performance didn't get us signed, then nothing would.

The last few bands kept up the crowd's spirit, and then around midnight, it was over. The bands gathered onstage for awards, and the audience quieted. I held Heidi's hand tight in my own as Duke Johnson - chairmen of the Phoenix Music Festival - took the microphone.

"What a night!" Duke cheered, earning a round of applause from the crowd. I grinned and nudged Heidi excitedly.

"Chill, Swan. You're gonna ruin your tough bitch reputation." She hissed back at me, but then we both laughed and started pushing each other.

"Knock it off!" James hissed angrily from behind. His badass persona was getting a little annoying, I decided, and turned around to stick my tongue out at him. He flipped me the bird and gave me a dirty look until I faced the audience again.

"First, we'll award Best Breakout Band." Duke pulled a list out of his back pocket and read it for a moment. "And the Best Breakout Band is… Twilight!" He announced, his voice booming over the crowd. The pretty man and his bandmates walked to center stage to retrieve their little plaque with broad grins. I cheered for them despite James' pissy shove.

The awards continued, and by the end of the hour we had taken Best Female Vocalist, and Most Unique Style. The last award - the most coveted of the night - was Best Overall. The band that won this was chosen out of any category, genre, age, etc. The judges looked at everyone for this award. Heidi had my hand in a death grip when Duke finally announced the winner.

"…and the winner of Best Overall is…Denali Beat!" There were high pitched squeals from our left as the group raced into center stage to retrieve their plaques, medals, and to get their pictures taken. The audience cheered wildly, and I had no qualms about their win. Denali Beat had been around for a long time, and they deserved this.

To say that James was pissed would be an understatement - he was raging. When we got backstage, he snapped Laurent's drumsticks and broke the neck on his bass, all within one minute. Security was called when he tried to hit Elezear, the lead singer of Denali Beat, and he was escorted from the park. Laurent was tired of James' antics and packed up his shit and took off before we could say another word.

This left Heidi, Victoria, and me with all of our equipment. We were not thrilled. This happened every time we didn't win big at a festival, and we were getting more and more irritated each time. After Vic had helped us pack up the majority of our gear, we sent her off to find James. Heidi and I finished loading the amps into the back of the van, before heading back to get something to eat from one of the few venders that were still open. We bought a couple burgers and some Cokes and sat on the grass in front of the stage to eat.

Victoria called us and said that she was taking James home, so we were supposed to take the van. Heidi fished the spare keys out of her purse and handed them to me, insisting that I was the better driver. We finished our food, and then headed out to the van. Just as I was about to climb inside, I heard footsteps and a voice calling for me from the other end of the lot.

"Hey, wait!" The pretty man was calling as he jogged up to me. "Can I get your number?"

I cocked my head to the side and gave him an incredulous grin. "First I give you my pick, now you want my number? Jesus, boy, does nothing please you?"

He laughed. "Your name would be nice, too. I'm Edward."

"Bella," I told him, and then rattled off my number. He put it in his phone and then looked up at me with a crooked grin.

"Thanks, Bella. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again." He kissed my hand and then ran off to find his band.

"What was that about?" Heidi laughed as I climbed inside and started the van.

"Met him earlier; he came into GG's looking for a pick." I shrugged.

"I'd tap that."

"Heidi, you'd tap the entire state of Arizona."

"Don't knock it unless you've tried it." She snorted and lit a joint. I gave her a pointed look and rolled down the window so the entire van wouldn't smell like weed. The streets of Phoenix were packed tonight, mostly with tourists from the festival, but there was plenty of nightlife going on, too. Heidi ordered me to pull over at a local pub because her "tummy was going to shit itself out her vag if she didn't get a scotch, some peanuts, and a good lay."

"You are the most disgusting person I know." I rolled my eyes at her as we walked into Scottie's. Scottie himself stood behind the bar, his red beard longer than ever and his green eyes alright with mischief. We played a few free gigs here every month, so he gave us free drinks whenever we came in. He claimed to not know our ages; I liked him. Anyone who gave teenagers booze for free was cool in my book.

"There be my girls!" He waved us over in delight and poured us two glasses of scotch. Heidi instantly reached for the peanuts and began scarfing them down like she'd never had food in her life before. I sipped lazily at my drink, gradually coming down from the adrenaline rush that had kept me running all night. It was close to two in the morning, and I had to work at ten the next morning, so I told Heidi to either get a quickie in the back alley, or to just go home with whoever she wanted to fuck.

"Ah, my darling prostitute, you know I always get a ride home." She winked at me and downed the rest of her glass, before setting her sights on a good-looking blonde in the corner. She winked at him and he laughed.

"Don't get raped - use protection!" I called as she sauntered away. She flipped me the bird behind her back and I just snorted, before taking one last swig of my drink and hopping off the bar stool. I waved goodbye to Scottie and then left. Just as I was walking out the door, I felt my phone vibrate in my bra. I reached for it and my new messages. There was one from Laurent, apologizing for not staying to help pack up, one from Vic saying that she had gotten James home safely, and then another from a number I didn't recognize.

_So you have a taste for scotch and your friend has a taste for my friend. _

_ -Edward_

I laughed aloud to myself and leaned back against the van. Peering in through the large bay window of the pub, I watched as Heidi was shot down by Edward's blonde friend more than once. She finally lost interest and moved on to another attractive man at the bar. He took to her instantly.

_She's not used to being rejected. Is he gay?_

I climbed inside the van and was just pulling away from the curb when my phone buzzed on the dash. At the next red light, I checked my messages.

_He's dating my sister, but she wears the pants in the relationship so…it's debatable. _

Again, I laughed.

_Maybe he just likes to be dominated…_

I drove on in silence for a few minutes, before turning on the radio. I sang along for awhile, until the commercials came on and I just shut it off. Once I reached home, my phone buzzed again.

_I laughed so hard you made me spill my bourbon in my lap. You owe me a drink._

I grinned and typed back a reply.

_It's a date._

His reply came just a few seconds after.

_Pick a time and place, doll._

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out the dates of the next music festival.

_Gig Harbor's Music on the Water - June 21st - will your band be there?_

I sent the text and then climbed out of the behemoth van. We would unpack all of the equipment tomorrow, so I made sure the doors were locked and then headed up the stairs to my apartment. Heidi and I shared the small living quarters with our friend - and my long time fuck buddy - Jacob Black. He was a serious pothead and an insanely good tattoo artist. Heidi was barely twenty, Jake was twenty-two, and I was only eighteen. I was still a baby, in comparison to the others, but they were the closest thing I had to family anymore. My mother was a washed up musician that perma-baked herself after the eighties were over. She'd been in a band that opened for Def Leppard, and shit just got crazy from there. She married some ex-minor league baseball player and lived in a ghetto urban housing development near the projects. Last I'd heard, she was pregnant. I pitied the kid and prayed he got out of there as fast as I did.

My dad was police chief in some small town in Washington. He sent me cards and money on my birthday, but that was about the extent of my relationship with him since I was ten. Renee swore he was a bad man, but I think he was just quiet and didn't know how to express love after my mother ripped his heart out. He had truly loved her, but she had toyed with his heart and used him for money and sex. Renee was a deadbeat, and Charlie was distant. As far as I was concerned, I didn't have parents. I worked for myself, was in a fairly successful band, and still kept up my grades in school. I raised myself better than any parent could.

The apartment was lit up with candles and incense burned on the countertops. Jacob sat sprawled out on the living room floor, stoned out of his mind. I dropped my purse on the coffee table and knelt in front of him. His dark eyes gazed up into mine.

"You need to go to bed, Jake." I told him, quirking an eyebrow.

"With you?" He grinned, tracing my knee with the tip of one of his fingers.

"If you want…" I shrugged and shot him a wink. As I was standing up, he caught my wrist a pulled me down so that I was straddling his lap. His dark eyes burned as he leaned in close and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. I moaned and parted my lips wide, allowing his warm tongue into my mouth. My hands tangled in his shaggy hair as his traced down my sides, drawing tiny circles on my hips. His fingers slipped up my shirt and drug it over my head, breaking the kiss. He kissed both of my breasts and trailed his tongue up my neck. I sighed with desire and arched against him. My hands found their way to his shirt, quickly tugging it off. His solid, defined body sent my lady parts into overload and I lost myself in him after that.

Some hours later, I found myself unable to sleep. Jacob was passed out in bed beside me, his chainsaw snoring as obnoxious as usual. I wrapped a sheet around my naked body and trudged out to the kitchen in search of food, when I saw my phone on the counter. I checked the messages and saw that Edward had replied.

_We'll be there for sure. It's not far from where we live. I know an awesome pub there. Meet up after the show?_

I smiled, suddenly thrilled at the idea of meeting the pretty man again.

_I'll be there._

I sent the text and then poured myself a bowl of cereal. Gazing out the large window at the front of the cluttered apartment, I watched as the cars rushed by, their headlights illuminating the night. My phone vibrated next to me, immediately drawing my attention.

_See you in three months. _

I grinned and turned on the radio beside me. For awhile, I just rocked to the music and ate my cereal. When the bowl was empty, I was finally overcome with weariness. I dragged myself to the couch and let Austin Jones' soothing voice lull me to sleep.

I dreamt of the pretty man and his music.

* * *

**Who is your pretty man?**

**-Em**


End file.
